The Hunton Group acts like a family because, well, it's run by a family and treats its employees as such, the father-and-son leadership team says.

The heating and air-conditioning company, which exclusively deals in Trane HVAC equipment, was founded 36 years ago by Richard Hunton when his son, Richard Jr., was still young. It's a commitment to its workforce that makes Hunton the fifth-ranked midsize company in the Chronicle's Top Workplaces list, based on an annual survey by Energage.

"I grew up in the business, so a lot of these people really are like family," Hunton Jr. said, adding that he held toolboxes 30 years ago for some of the people who still work at the company.

The Hunton Group is in growth mode and now has about 400 workers. He said the company is in the process of hiring about 20 more technicians.

Hunton controls a family of four companies focused on HVAC equipment distribution, industrial services, residential work and building integration services, including information technology work.

Hunton Jr. said the company calls itself an energy services company, but that's confusing in Houston - the world's oil and gas capital.

"So we say we're building energy services," he said.

In anonymous employee comments, a recurring trend is that Hunton's workers say they're treated with respect and everyone works as a team.

"Everything about the Hunton family makes this place home," one employee wrote. "We spend more time with our co-workers than our own family during the week, so it is super important to feel like a family while you are at work. The Hunton Group always lets you move up, and they continuously support their employees."